Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-27

Tor his head Is cracked ucrOSS, ana Others ol
those who are bound are hurt 1t was a gal
liant fight, and 20 and he have made friend
of mo by it, for love to see a well fought
fray But tell me, my son, tho Baboon-ant
now think Of It, thy face, too, Is hairy, nnt
altogether like baboon's--how was itStbat
We slew bOsh those with hole In theml W
made noise, they say, and slew thom-they
fell down on their faces at the noisep
explained to him as well as | could, but
very shortly-I was terribly wearied and only
persuaded TO talk Mt all through fear of offend.
ing one so powerful il refused to do So
what were the properties of gunpowder, and
he instantly suggested that should illustrate
what said by operating ON the person of one
of the prisoners One, he said, never would
be missed, and it would not only be very in
teresting to him, but would give me an OPP
portunity of an instalment of revenge. He
was greatly astounded when l told him that
It was not our custom to avengo ourselves in
cold blood, and that we left vengeance to the
law and q higher power, Of which he knew
nothing. | added, however, that when re-
covered would take him out shooting with
us, and he should kill an animal for himself
and at this he was pleased as child at the
promise of n new toy IT,
Just then Leo opened his eyes beneath the
stimulus of some brandy (of which we still
had q little) that job had poured down his
throat, and our conversation came to an end.
After this we managed to get Leo, who
was In very poor way indeed, and only half
conscious, safely of TO bed, supported by Job
and that brave girl Ustane, to whom, had
not been afraid she might resent it, would
certainly have given kiss for her splendid
behavior in saving my dear boys life at the
risk of her own. But Ustane was not the
sort Of young person with whom one would
care TO take liberties unless one were perfectly
certain that they would not be misunder-
stood, so depressed my inclinations Then,
bruised and battered, but with a sense OF
safety in my breast TO which had for some
days been stranger, crept of TO my own
little sepulcher, not forgetting before | laid
down TO thank God from tho bottom Of my
heart that it was not a sepulcher indeed, as,
were it not for merciful combination Of
events, that can only attribute to Him, it
would certainly have been for mo that night
Few men have been nearer their end and yet
escaped it than we no on that dreadful
day.
My dreams that night. when at last / got TO
sleep, were not Of the pleasantest The awful
vision of poor Mahomcd struggling 10 escape
the red hot pot would haunt them, and then
in the background, as 1t were, yelled form
was always lowering which, from time to
time, seemed TO draw the coverings from its
body, revealing now the perfect shape Of q
lovely blooming woman, and now again tho
white bones Of a grinning skeleton, and which,
as it yelled and unveiled, uttered the myster-
ious and apparently meaningless sentence;
"That which Is alive hath known death, and
that which Is dead yet can never die, for in
the Circle OF the Spirit life is naught and
death is naught. Yea, oil things live forever,
though at times they sleep and are forgot
ten"
The morning came at last, but when il
came found that was too stiff and sore to
rise. About Job arrived, limping terribly,
and with his face the color Of rotten apple,
and told me that Leo had slept fairly, but
was very weak Two hours after Billali Dob
called him "Billy-goat, " to which, indeed, his
white beard gave him some resemblance, or,
more Familiarity, 1Billy,' came too, bearing
O lamp In his hand his towering form reach
ing nearly to the roof Of the little chamber.
pretended to DO asleep, and through tho
cracks of my eyelids, watched his sardonio
but handsome old face He fixed his hawk
like eyes upon me and stroked his glorious,
white beard, which, by the way, would have
been worth a hundred year to any London
barber as an advertisement
"Ahl" heard him mutter Billali had o
habit Of muttering to HIMSELF, she Is ugly
ugly as the other is beautiful-a very bn-
boon; 1t was good name. But like the
man. Strange. now, at my age, that should
like a man. What says the proverbi Mis-
trust all men, and slay him whom thou mis-
trustest over much; and as for women, lco
thou from them, for they are evil, and in tho
end will destroy thee 1t is good proyerb,
especially the last part; think it must havo
come down from the ancients Nevertheless
l like this baboon, and wonder where they
taught him his tricks, and / trust that Sho
viii not bewitch him. Poor Baboonl he must
be wearied after that fight / will go lest l
should wake him.
waited till he had turned, and was nearly
through the entrance, walking softly on tip
toe, and then l called after him.
"My father" said, lis 1t thouT'
ayes, my son, it is i; but let me not dis.
turb thee. did but come to see how thou
didst fare, and TO tell thee that those who
would have slain thee, my balloon, arc by
now well on their road to She. She said that
ye were to come also at once, but fear yo
can not yeti
"Nay,n said, mot till we havo recovered
little; but have me borne out into the day
light, pray thee, my father. l like not this
placer
"Ah, no, he answered; SIT hath sad air.
remember when was a boy found tho
body of fair woman lying where you lie
now, yes, on that very bench. She was SO
beautiful'that used TO creep in here with n
lamp and gaze upon her. Had 1t not been
for her cold hands, almost could think that
she slept, and would one day awake so fair
and peaceful was she In her robe Of white
White was she too, and her hair was yellow,
and lay down her almost to the feet There
are many such still in the tombs at the place
where She is, for those who set them there
had n way l know naught Of, of keeping
their beloved out Of the crumbling hand
of decay, even when death had slain
them. Ay, day by day came hither and
gazed on her, till at last-laugh not at mo,
stranger, for / was but silly lad-I learned
to love that dead form that shell that onco
had held n life that no more is. would creep
up TO her and kiss her cold face and wonder
how many men had lived and died since sho
was, and who had loved her and embraced
her In the days that long had passed away.
And, my Baboon, / think learned wisdom
from that dead one, for Of truth 1t taught
me OF the lttleness of life and tho length Of
death, andhow all things that are under the
sun go down one path and are forever for
gotten. And 30 / unused, and 1t seemed TO
me that wisdom flowed into me from that
dead one till one day my mother, watchful
woman but hasty minded, seeing / was
changed, followed me and saw the beautiful
white one and feared wus bewitched, as in
deed was SO, half In fear and half IN
anger, she took the lamp and, standing the
dead one up against the wall there, set fire to
her hair and she burned fiercely even down to
the feet, for those who arc thus kept burn ex-
cellently well. See, my son, there on tho
roof is yet the smoke OF her burning"
looked up doubtfully, and there, suro
enough, on the roof OF the sepulcher was
peculiarly unctuous and sooty mark, three
feet or more across. Doubtless It had In tho
course of years been rubbed off the sides OF
the little cave, but on the roof II remained,
and there was no installing It's appearance.
"She burned he went on, in meditative
way, seven TO the feet, but tho feet l came
back and saved, cutting the burned bone from